Explosive



mixed with nitroaromatic compounds, such Patented Jan. 2, 1923.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL M. COOK, OF TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ATLAS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

EXPLOSIVE.

N0 Drawing. Application filed December T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUSSELL M. (3001:, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tamaqua, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ammonium perchlorate explosives, which are similar in their explosive properties to existing standard grades of nitroglycerine dynamite.

Since dynamite was discovered, numerous attempts have been made to produceexplosives more powerful than, or equally as powerful as dynamite, yet possessing superior qualities with respect to stability, economy, resistance to freezing, or physiological effect of handling the powder. By the last named effect is meant the characteristlc headaches produced by handling nitroglycerine dynamites.

Among the 'many proposed substitutes for nitroglycerine dynamite may bementione'd the mixtures of chlorates, sodium or potassium, with resins, gums, and nitroa-romatic compounds, and mixtures of inorganic nitrates with resins Jor nitroaromatic com pounds. Each of. these .p roposed explosives possessed some property which recommended it to the attention of the explosive consumer. In most cases this was the property of being non-freezing, or of not causing headaches. In some cases cheapness was claimed as a virtue. However each of t ese proposed explosives suffered from one or more major, inherent defects which precluded its acceptance as a substitute for'or competitor of nitroglycerine dynamite. The explosives consisting' of inorganic 'nitrates as T. N. 'T., have not met with favor because of low initial sensitiveness and of the tendency of the powder to become hard withfresulting impossibility of detonation. This last named objection applies also to the chlorate powders.

For some years the development of proosed substitutes for or im rovements'over P f p dynamite, seemedto be in a state of comparative coma, induced no doubt by a feeling that success was well nigh impossible,

judging by the-many previous failures. This condition was suddenly changed, within the last few years, by the development and man- 22, 1921. Serial No. 524,275.

ufacture of a new type of explosive, having .for its base the comparatively new explosive salts the perchlorates. Thesehave sometimes. included only one perchlorate as, ammonium perchlorate for example. In other cases a mixture hasbeen used, as ammonium and potassium perchlorates. Perchlorate e'xplosives since their introduction on a commercial scale have enjoyed a remarkable suc-, cess. Aside from the satisfactory results of several'years of extensive use, which period has served to show" the satisfaction with their non-freezing and non headache-properties, as well as with their general'explosive properties, one testimonial to their value is the largenumber of recently proposed explosive compositions which have as a necessary ingredient a perchlorate. These compositionsv usually contain, in addition to perchlorate, a nitro-aromatic compound, such as dior trinitrotoluol, and if ammonium, perchlorate is used, a nitrate such as sodium nitrate, or an oxidesuch as mangaplosives has been subjected has served to" show that while, as now manufactured, they are adapted for general blasting work an other uses to which dynamite is put, some limitations are placed upon their use by their comparatively low propagation sensitiveness, as compared with nitroglycerine dy-- namites.

The object of my invention is to provide explosive compositions the main explosive in which comprlses a large percentage of a perchlorate, or mixture of perchlorates, and

in which the above mentioned disadvantage, i. e., that of too low propagation, sensitiveness for certain special work, is to a large extent avoided.

.It, might be reasoned that a logical way I toa-pproac-h this problem, that of combining g the desirable properties of both perchlorate explosives and nitro-glycerine dynamite, andyet eliminating the undesirable properties of both, would be to effect a mixture of certain ingredients of each explosive. I have found Ill) such'to be the case. Byexhaustive tests I have'found that perchlorate explosives prepared in the manner hereinafter set fort give the desired results. i This may be accomplished by including in the explosive nated with a No. 6 cap]. Among these explosive liquid organic nitrates, as above defined, may be mentioned nitro-glycerine, tetranitrodig'lycerine, the nitroglycols, the nitrochlorhydrins, any of these mixed with nitrated sugars, and any mixtures of these Per cent. Ammonium perchlorate 2 1 Potassium perchlorate 25 Manganese dioxide 4 Sodium nitrate.. 17' Wood meal s 1 Trinitrotoluol 26 'Dinitromonochlorhydrin 2 Chalk f 1 Other examples 'may be given as follows:

V Per iilt. A Ammonium perchlorate 23.0 Manganese dioxide; 5.

Coated sodium nitrate 44. Nitroglycerine 2. T. N. T 24.5 Sulphur 1.0 Chalk l 0.5

- Per cent. Ammonium perchlorate i 21.0 Manganese dioxide 4:. Coated sodium nitrate 47.5 so Nitroglycerine 2.0

T. N. T 23. Sulphur 2.0 Chalk 0.5

with themselves. One example of such proposed explosive would have the following composition:

- I Percent. Ammonium perchlorate 30 Manganese dioxide.. 7 Sodium nitrate 36 Trinitrotoluol 24 N itroglycerine and tetranitro diglycerine Cha1k 1 Another example would have the following composition:

It .is understood that the percentage of these ingredients may be varied and other ingredients added, inorder to give explosives with certain desired properties with respect to strength, fumes,- velocity of detonation, and density, Without departing from" the idea of my invention. For instance, I do not limit myself to, the use of two percent explosive liquid organic nitrate, since the results I desire can be obtained from the use-of from one-half to three and'one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50 percent).

The purpose of the explosive liquid organic nitrate is to raise the propagation sensitivenessof the perchlorate explosives so that they compare more favorably in this respect with dynamites, and can, as a result, be successfully used in special cases in which at present only the more sensitive nitroglycerine dynamites can be applied. I have found, by extensive tests, that these new explosives, made as before described, do not cause headaches onbeing handled. L

Moreover, repeated subjection of these new explosives forilong periods of time to the 90 temperatures encountered in practical use has resulted in no apparent change in their ph sical or explosive properties.

8n the other hand, under the same conditions, nitroglycerine dynamites become hard, their propagation sensitiveness decreases, they are subject to' freezing and they are more dangerously sensitive to some forms of handling.

Having described my invention what I 100 claim is: p

1. An explosive mixture comprising a main explosive consisting of a mixture of a perchlorate and trinitrotoluol, and a small percentage of an explosive liquid organic 105 nitrate, and sodium nitrate.

2. An explosive mixture comprising a main explosive consisting of a mixture of trinitrotoluol and a perchlorate, wherein the said perchlorate forms a large percentage of such mixture, in combination with a small percentage of nitro-glycerine, and sodium nitrate.

3. An explosive containing a perchlorate and from one-half to three and one-half percent 0.50% to 3.50%) of anexp-losive liquid organic nitrate.

4. An explosive containing a perchlorate and from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 50%) of a mixture of explosive liquid organic nitrates.

5. An explosive containing ammonium perchlorate and from one-half to three and oneshalf percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate.

6. An explosive containing a perchlorate and from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) nitroglycerine.

7. An explosive containing .a perchlorate,

from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate and sodium nitrate.

8. An explosive containing ammonium perchlorate, from one-half to three and one half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate and sodium nitrate. j

9. An explosive containing a perchlorate, from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate, and a nitro-aromati'c compound.

, 10. An explosive containing a perchlorate from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of a mixture of explosive liquid organic nitrates, and a nitroaromatic compound.

11. Anexplosive containing a perchlorate,

from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate, and trinitrotoluol.

12. An explosive containing ammonium I erchlorate, from one-half to three and onealf percent (0.50% to 3.50%) oflan explosive liquid organic nitrate, and trinitrotoluol.

13. An explosive containing aperchlorate, from one-half to three and one-half percent (0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate, sodium nitrate, and trinitrotoluol.

14. An explosive containing ammonium perchlorate, from one half to three and 'onehalf percent (0.50% to.3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate,'sodium ni- 'trate, and trinitrotoluol.

15. An explosive containing a perchlorate, from one-half to three and one-half percent-(0.50% to 3.50%) of an explosive liquid organic nitrate, sodium nitrate, trinitrotolno], and manganese dioxide.

16. An explosive containing ammonium perchlorate, from one-half to three and one- 

